Municipal News & Jobs

Wichita voters overwhelmingly rejected a city sales tax in Tuesday’s special election. More than 41,000 votes were cast against the tax, compared with only about 9,000 votes in favor. Wichita Forward, a group of business leaders behind the proposal, conceded defeat in a press release. “While this was not the result we hoped for, we respect the decision of Wichita voters,” the group said. “These issues are significant for our community, and we appreciate everyone who took the time to participate in the process.” The tax would have funded public safety, homeless services, Century II improvements, property tax relief and the construction of a downtown performing arts center. But it was at the center of one controversy after another since it was proposed last fall.
Read more: KSN-TV

The City of Augusta says the local power grid needs critical repairs. The repairs will require a two-hour power blackout. The city had originally planned for the repairs to take place overnight from March 18 to 19. The city has pushed the date back to March 25 to 26. The planned blackout will begin at midnight, and the work is expected to take two hours to complete, weather permitting.
Read more: KSN-TV

Ozone season begins Sunday through Oct. 31. Wichita officials say that while they track air quality year-round, they’ll be on heightened alert during this time. Ground-level ozone is an invisible pollutant that can negatively impact public health, the environment and local economy. Warmer temperatures, regional crop burning, and regular activities such as mowing and driving can contribute to higher ozone levels. To combat this, the city is launching its 2026 Lawn Care Rebate Program. The program aims to encourage residents to switch to electric lawn equipment, thus reducing emissions and improving air quality.
Read more: KSN-TV

People who live in Spring Hill are pushing back against a rezoning plan that they say opens the door to a possible data center and to a change in their way of life. Neighbors are concerned about noise pollution, traffic, property values and proximity to a nearby school. Along 191st Street in Spring Hill, neighbors posted signs in their yards that say, “No industrial zoning.” “This is my property and this is where they want to put the data center,” Erin Lustig said. “This is just not what we moved out here for. We moved out here to get away from the city, to have peace and quiet.”
Read more: KSN-TV

Morris County voters on March 3 rejected an over $30 million bond vote that would have gone towards USD 417 improvements. Voters in USD 417 participated in a school bond election on Friday to confirm or deny a $31.5 million bond that would have gone towards facility updates including security upgrades, new parking and classroom modernization efforts across three schools in the district. Vote totals for the school bond election show the bond was not approved with 70% voting no and nearly 30% voting yes.
Read more: KSNT 27 News

Neighbors on opposite sides of the street and opposite sides of the issue are made their voices heard Tuesday as they voted on the Lansing Unified School District 469 bond issue aimed at addressing aging infrastructure. The voters said no to both school bond issues on the ballot. Question 1 went down to defeat with 1,579 no votes and 1,095 yes votes. Approval of the bonds would have meant $30 million toward improvements, including HVAC systems, roofs, parking lots and tennis courts, with no mill levy increase. Question 2 also failed at the polls with 1,779 no votes and only 890 yes votes. Money from that bond would have put $5 million toward sports field improvements and would raise the mill levy by .746 mills, costing the owner of a $400,000 home around $34 a year about $2.86 a month. Superintendent Marty Kobza told KSHB 41’s Leavenworth County reporter Rachel Henderson earlier in the day the district’s infrastructure has reached a breaking point.
Read more: KSHB News

Voters in the Olathe and De Soto school districts approved hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds to improve school facilities and other services, according to mail ballot results released Tuesday. In Olathe, 23% of voters took part in the election. There were 15,344 “yes” votes and 8,960 “no” votes for the $389 million bond measure. “We are incredibly thankful to our Olathe Public Schools community who has once again supported our district through the endorsement of a bond election,” Olathe Superintendent Dr. Brent Yeager said in a statement. “This bond provides us the opportunity to reinvest in our facilities, build upon excellence and enhance our schools, which are the heartbeat of our community. For decades, our community has stood behind our schools by supporting past bond initiatives, and we thank you for continuing your investment in high quality schools. We know that strong public schools build strong communities and we look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead with the support of these bond funds.” Just under 24% of USD 232 voters mailed in a ballot.
Read more: KSHB News

The $17.85 million Wellington School Bond issue fell to defeat. It was 920 no to 894 yes. It was a 26-vote difference, with percentages of 50.8 to 49.2. Interestingly, there was a split between the advanced voting and the election-day vote. The yes votes were 712 to 677 no. The election was much closer this time around than the $22.6 million bond in November. That election was No – 1,080 (53.7 percent), Yes – 931 (46.2 percent). The voter turnout was lower the second time around with 1,814 voters cast today compared to 2,021 in November.
Read more: Sumner NewsCow

Hutchinson voters approved a 10-year, 0.75% city sales tax increase on Tuesday by an unofficial final vote of 2,316 to 2,116, pending provisional ballots and advance ballots that were turned in at polling places. The tax will raise the total sales tax in Hutchinson to 9% for non-food purchases, divided between the State of Kansas (6.5%), Reno County (1%), and the City of Hutchinson (1.5%), effective Oct. 1, 2026. The state’s portion of sales tax is not charged on qualifying food purchases. The sales tax is to pay for stormwater system modifications, maintenance and repairs of parks and streets, capital improvements and city operations, according to the question on the ballot. That includes elimination of the city’s stormwater utility fee. The stormwater utility fee is $4.75 per month for residential properties and varies based on hard-surface area of commercial properties.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recognized the Ellis County Fire Department (ECFD) with its Golden Helmet distinction. The ECFD was the first volunteer fire department in the state to achieve the NIOSH designation for participation in the National Firefighter Registry (NFR) for Cancer, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters. “This honor places the ECFD as the 100th leading fire department in the nation dedicated to understanding and eliminating one of the greatest health threats in the fire service today—cancer,” said Ellis County Fire & Emergency Management Director Darin Myers.
Read more: Hays Daily News

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

For small towns, these projects could be a source of economic growth, something rural Kansas counties have been searching for. But, skepticism has also grown alongside wind and solar, and that is putting some of the potential growth on hold. It’s not just the wind and solar farms growing, it’s also the country’s demand for energy.
Read more: CJonline

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The Wichita area grew faster than Kansas as a whole over the past five years or so and is seeing its population of young people and racial minorities grow. While Wichita is growing faster than the state, its suburbs are growing the quickest, and the region is showing healthy signs.
Read more: Wichita Eagle

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

Despite only having 333 residents, Lucas is making national news, thanks to a thriving arts scene. The town in Russell County was included in two different lists for the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards in art this week. The town’s Garden of Eden was found in the list of Best Sculpture Parks and the city found itself in the list of Best Small Town Arts Scenes.
Read more: Salina Journal

The interest rate table above illustrates recent changes in a sample of AA rated bond trades reported to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s EMMA® system. Every issuer’s credit is different, and other financing sources may be available. To obtain comprehensive Financial Advisory services for your local government, contact your Ranson Financial Municipal Advisor, Larry Kleeman, or Henry Schmidt.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) posted Request for Applications (RFA) for its first two grant opportunities under the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) in Kansas. The application period for the Regional Partnership (RPGP) and the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Conversion/Transformative Capital Investment (CAP) grant programs opened Monday to eligible Kansas providers and organizations pursuing collaborative arrangements with one or more eligible Kansas providers. Eligible providers include Kansas hospitals, physician practices, solo practitioners, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, local health departments, Native American Sovereign Tribal health care facilities, certified community behavioral health clinics, licensed substance-use disorder facilities, and licensed long-term care facilities located in rural areas.
Read more: KDHE, KS – News Flash

After months of work and a few clarifications, Riley County on Monday unanimously approved amendments to short-term rental regulations for properties in unincorporated areas of the county. One amendment defines how the county may waive the 500-foot separation requirement between units. “Thus it was proposed to revise the language to directly focus on primary issues, which were traffic and parking,” county planner Bob Isaac said. “It’s a matter of phrasing, but it includes that and gets directly to the point.”
Read more: News Radio KMAN

Within the same breath, 10 years can feel both as if decades have passed or it has just been a few minutes, and for many, the moment happens at the same instant. On Feb. 26, 10 years will have passed since a random act of violence shook Hesston to its core during the Excel shooting, where Joshua Higbee, Renee Benjamin and Brian Sadowsky were killed, along with the perpetrator, Cedric Ford, and 14 others were wounded. Ford’s rampage began when he fired shots at cars near the intersection of 12th and Meridian, in Newton, followed by more shooting at Old 81 and Meridian before he returned to Hesston. Even though many memories are forever etched for those who were there, worked or responded to the tragedy, one thing that never changed was the Hesston community’s ability to heal.
Read more: Harvey County Now